January 1, 2023 | By Mary Clarkin
When Sigrid Trombley needed rides to medical appointments, she posted an appeal on Facebook. Friends came through, but she’d like to find a reasonably priced, reliable transportation service so as not to burden others. Diane McCartney was looking for the same thing when she sought an Uber reservation for a four-mile trip to the doctor. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
A Wichita man is looking for a few good volunteers to tell the stories of U.S. servicemen and women from Kansas who died during World War II. “Those people that gave their lives in service to our nation deserve the recognition,” Doug Rupe said. Rupe is Kansas coordinator for Stories Behind the Stars, a nonprofit […]
| By The Active Age
Jennifer Lasley has joined the board of The Active Age. Lasley joined Central Plains Area Agency on Aging (CPAAA) in 2017 and was promoted to the Older Americans Act Program coordinator in November 2021. The Older Americans Act is a federal grant that provides funding to CPAAA and local organizations, including The Active Age, while […]
| By The Active Age
Click to see the complete guide of 12 special routes.
| By Jill D. Miller
By this time, New Year’s Day has come and gone. If you’re like most of us, you either neglected to make any 2023 resolutions or you did make one and have already broken it. Don’t give up now. It’s not too late. Discover the elegant minimalism of choosing one word to set as an intention […]
| By Jim Miller
Savvy Senior: Little known property-tax relief programs help seniors save Dear Savvy Senior, I recently learned about a property-tax relief program for seniors in the county where I live. Apparently, there are hundreds of these programs across the country that many retirees, like me, are eligible for but don’t know about. What can you tell […]
| By Ted Ayers
“Yours Truly,” by James R. Hagerty (Citadel Press, 2023, 202 pages, $25.00) This book is subtitled “An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story.” However, don’t let that dampen your interest or spirits. This book is lighthearted, encouraging and delightfully written. “Yours Truly” made me chuckle out loud on several occasions. Author James R. (Bob) Hagerty is […]
| By Ted Blankenship
It’s not enough that we worry about cancer and viruses that can make us sick or even kill us. Now we face a malady that has been with us for a long time but has been formally recognized only recently — sitting disease. There was an article about it the other day by DeeDee Stiepan […]
| By Joe Stumpe & Tim Marlar
As we head into 2023, The Active Age is inviting readers to tell us what kinds of articles and other content you want to see in this newspaper. The contact information for editor Joe Stumpe is at the end of this column, and you are also welcome to drop by our office at 125 S. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
The city of Wichita has a new auditor. Celeste Racette isn’t actually on the city payroll, but the self-appointed watchdog is adept at getting things done — and undone. Take the hidden 8 percent “ballpark development fee” imposed by owners of the Wichita Wind Surge baseball team on popcorn, T-shirts and other purchases at city-owned […]
December 1, 2022 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
When Brian Byers’ wife of 29 years died suddenly in April 2014, he turned to a familiar activity — coaching football — to help work through his grief. But it wasn’t enough. “I was at a point where I realized I wasn’t in good shape, so I started losing weight and lifting,” said […]
| By Mary Clarkin
The pandemic has stalled plans to create a campus of cottages and services in south Wichita for homeless veterans. “We started off with a pretty ambitious plan,” said Seth Brees, board member of the nonprofit Passageways Ltd., Wichita. The vision garnered praise and pledges of donations and in-kind aid. A Passageways’ Planned Unit Development for undeveloped […]
| By Nancy Carver Singleton
NEWTON — Students at St. Mary Catholic School in Newton learn reading through the gentle, patient tutelage of a woman now in her 66th year of teaching. Three hours each day, Sister Rosemary Sieg teaches first, third and fourth graders at the same school she attended. “I want to help children improve and do better […]
| By The Active Age
Kansas voters don’t appear to hold a little life experience against candidates. In contrast to the national political scene, where concerns about President Biden’s age have been raised, Kansas voters last month made Laura Kelly, 72, the oldest person ever elected governor of the state. The state’s second-oldest governor? Kelly, when she was first elected […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
The Active Age is giving away eight tickets to the Jim Brickman Christmas Show at the Orpheum Theatre on Dec. 10. To qualify for the ticket drawing, correctly identify these popular toys in the quiz below. Mail or drop off your completed answers to The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Wichita, KS., 67213. Or […]
| By The Active Age
Eligible Sedgwick County residents can apply for financial assistance for hearing aids, eyeglasses and utility assistance. The money is available due to contingency funds approved for the Department on Aging by county commissioners. For help in obtaining a hearing aid, call the Independent Living Resource Center at (316) 942-6300. For helping obtaining eyeglasses, call Cairn […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Some years ago, I had a great idea for a food club that would lead to a best-selling cookbook that would lead to a hit Food Network show, lucrative product endorsements and so on. For some reason, the Stinky Food Club never took off. In fact, my wife and myself remain its only two members. […]
| By Gail Goolsby
Editor’s note: Last year’s chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan prompted these recollections by Wichitan Gail Goolsby. The Taliban, whose legacy Goolsby found so destructive in the mid 2000s, are again in control of the south Asia nation. I never wanted to live outside the United States and particularly not a place like Afghanistan. […]
| By The Active Age
Christmas events on tap at school museum The McCormick School Museum, 855 S. Martinson, will hold its Christmas open house the first weekend in December. Wichita school music groups will perform from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, with tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Dec. 3 and 4, tours […]
| By The Active Age
Serving an area of 65 square miles, the folks at Goddard Public Library were looking for a way to better reach patrons. Thanks to a couple of grants and local sponsors, the Goddard Mobile Library (shown at right) is now doing just that. The mobile library is housed in a 30-foot, 2006 model RV that’s […]
| By Ted Blankenship
It wouldn’t have happened if not for our cats, Cat One and Cat Two. In a round-about way, they were responsible for our acquisition of a Brittany Spaniel that we hadn’t planned on acquiring. We had taken the cats to the veterinarian, and as we were leaving, the vet mentioned that he had something we […]
| By Diana Morton
Crown Uptown Theatre. A Crown Holiday Spectacular! Madi White and Max Wilson emcee this Rockettes-inspired Christmas production featuring a 7-piece band, high energy vocals, dancing and holiday cheer. 8 pm Th-Sat (doors open at 6:30), 2 pm Sun (doors open at 12:30), Nov 18-Dec 18. Dinner and show, $25-$45; Show only, $10-$30. 316-612-7696 Forum Theatre […]
| By The Active Age
The Beechwood neighborhood, hastily built to house aircraft workers during World War II, survived longer than previously thought. Or at least some of its barracks-like housing units did. Unlike Planeview and Hilltop Manor — Wichita’s two other “temporary” WWII neighborhoods that remain in existence today — Beechwood was cleared and the site along East Douglas […]
| By The Active Age
Cathy Feemster never forgot her grandmother’s story about a stray dog. Now she’s turned the tale into a children’s book, “My Friend Rachel by Shep, the dog.” Feemster’s grandmother, the late Rachel Brooks Coates, is a main character in the book along with her brother, Jake. Shep, a stray dog the siblings adopt, narrates the […]
November 1, 2022 | By Joe Stumpe
McConnell Air Force Base has served many missions through the decades, from training bomber crews and maintaining intercontinental ballistic missiles to its current focus on air refueling and military intelligence. No task proved more perilous to the pilots stationed there than its stint as a home to fighter squadrons during the Vietnam War. “It was […]